The dominance that Grambling displayed in the Southwest Athletic Conference in 2015 is somewhat in question at the start of this season.

Grambling, which ran the table through its league schedule last year and then reached the SWAC championship game, has a quarterback issue and a need to improve a defense that allowed 35 points per game, a matter which helped the Tigers finish last in the conference in pass defense.

Coaches and league sports information directors have picked Grambling to finish second in the West Division behind Prairie View A&M. The Tigers received 35 points, six behind Prairie View and three in front of third-place Southern.

The Tigers finished 9-3 overall in 2015 behind quarterback Jonathan Williams, who passed for just over 3,000 yards, an accomplishment that was second best in the SWAC.

There’s quarterback potential help on the way however, as Grambling has Ole Miss transfer Devante Kincade as a replacement. Kincade injured his foot last year and was not available for any of the Tigers’ spring football workouts.

A three-star recruit from the Dallas area, Kincade transferred to Grambling in January. At Ole Miss, last year Kincade was third on the depth chart, but threw for 79 yards and rushed for another 87. Kincade has two years eligibility remaining.

If Kincade or any of the other Grambling quarterback candidates emerge as sufficiently effective. then the Tigers could possibly match last season’s offense which averaged 42 points.

Other first team All-SWAC preseason picks are offensive lineman Justin Millers (6-5, 276) and placekicker Marc Orozco, whose 99 points enabled him to finish 2015 as the league’s top scorer.

Although the back end of the Grambling defense surrendered enormous chunks of yardage last season, the Tigers finished second in interceptions (12) and second in sacks (11).

When it came time to lock down in the red zone, Grambling ranked first in the conference. The Tigers stopped opponents from scoring 87.5 percent of the time, a league-leading red zone statistic.

Those achievements might be duplicated by the return of junior defensive back Guy Stallworth (6-3, 215), also a first team SWAC preseason selection. Stallworth, a junior, finished third among the league tacklers (118).

Grambling also has second tier defender Arkez Cooper, a linebacker, who last season had 93 tackles. Cooper was third in tackles for losses last year.

Grambling head coach Broderick Fobbs said the Tigers enter the season with a bit of emptiness, which originated in December. The Tigers, Fobbs said, failed to win the league championship game played in Atlanta, when Grambling lost to Alcorn State 49-21.

Fobbs said his team remembers that experience moving forward into 2016.

“It’s something that makes you very, very driven and hungry and you look to grab it the next time,” Fobbs said in an interview with the Monroe News Star earlier this year.